Underneath the Surface
by kirituhi
Summary: Frozenpaw and her sister, Willowpaw, aren't exactly what you'd call friends. Encouraged by her mother, Frozenpaw doesn't accept Willowpaw as an equal- but underneath the surface, her memories are brewing. And her fears are coming to light.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! I decided to do a bit of account reorganization, and so I'll hopefully be posting a rewrite of this over the next few days. This is from Secret of the Storms, River's Change (Chapter 2)**

**If you're wondering why it's been taking a while to get the next chapter of MNiB out, well, sadly, my original chapter got deleted. I wrote it on google docs offline, and when I went to edit it slightly on my laptop, it glitched and deleted the chapter. Honestly, I'm kinda glad, because it was a rubbish chapter anyway. I was struggling to write it and so it ended up not being the standard I prefer to have with my writing for MNiB. So, you'll be seeing that soon. I'll be answering any reviews on that chapter instead of this one.**

**So, go ahead and read!**

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Chapter One

When the Sun goes down

* * *

Frozenpaw stepped forward to touch noses with her new mentor, Runningmist. Beside her, Willowpaw's fluffy pale grey tail was sticking straight up in the air. Frozenpaw snorted. For a new apprentice, Willowpaw sure acted like a kit. It had never changed. She always was there, constantly annoying her with her kit-like ways and more.

Snowstripe had told her to ignore the pale grey shecat, and she did.

"Willowpaw! Frozenpaw! Willowpaw! Frozenpaw!" All of the cats who were present cheered. Frozenpaw puffed out her chest, standing proudly, before sending Willowpaw a disdainful glance and stepping in front of her to bask in the Clan's appreciation for her.

A small sigh escaped from Willowpaw's jaws and Frozenpaw smirked.

_"Let her suffer. Make her suffer."_

Her mother's words echoed in her head as RiverClan cheered her name. Meeting Snowstripe's pride-filled blue gaze, Frozenpaw stood even taller, blocking Willowpaw almost entirely from view.

Snowstripe bent her head in approval. Frozenpaw felt pride surge up, but something small settled within her. She would have stood there forever, but unfortunately, she had to turn around one day. As the Clan began to dissipate, a deep voice came from behind her.

"Congratulations, you two."

Iff Frozenpaw had her mother on her side, Willowpaw had their father. And their father was decisively the more powerful of the two.

Turning, Frozenpaw met her Duskstar's blue gaze. "Well done, both of you."

Frozenpaw stiffened. Was he referring to the mentors, or to her and Willowpaw?

She raised a brow in shock when she realised that he was looking at both Willowpaw and herself. She knew that while her mother thought of her littermate as a piece of scum, her father wasn't willing to share her view.

_"Duskshadow? No. He continually- blindly even- believes that Willowkit is just as good as you. Don't think he is right. Duskshadow is never right."_

But was that true? A worm of doubt burrowed in Frozenpaw's mind. Why would StarClan- or the previous Clan leader, even- choose him if he was always wrong? She sniffed. Maybe Snowstripe meant that Duskstar wasn't right when it came to Willowpaw. Right? Yes. That was what she meant.

"Frozenpaw! Snap out of it! There's no time to waste. Violetpaw needs our help, remember?" Runningmist's sweet mew drifted into Frozenpaw's thoughts and with a jerk, Frozenpaw followed her as she trotted back into the medicine cat's den.

Inside, it was dim, yet Frozenpaw could clearly see the healing plants piled neatly in the back of the den. The scent of herbs wafted in the air, and tickled Frozenpaw's nostrils. The smell was sharp and clean, and taking a deep breath, Frozenpaw relished the fact that she had finally started upon her future; to become a medicine cat. She was finally on her way to make Snowstripe proud- and to fulfil her own dream.

A deep nest made of moss was wedged in a crook in the rock wall, and nearby it, there was a small spring where Runningmist could get water. As soon as she entered the den, Runningmist's face contorted from the fake smile she'd pasted on for the ceremony into the worried frown she wore more frequently than ever now.

A low moan rose from the depths of the mossy nest, and Runningmist rushed over. Beckoning with her tail, Runningmist silently asked Frozenpaw to come.

A shudder shook Frozenpaw's spine as she padded gently over to Runningmist's side. She was partly nervous, almost tentative to make a noise- but then again, she was excited to begin. She recalled what had happened just before she had turned six moons old.

Recently, there had been a battle against ThunderClan over Sunningrocks. Of course, those fish-brains couldn't get it into their hard heads that Sunningrocks belonged to RiverClan and always would. RiverClan had won- as always- but it had been a vicious battle. Even more so than usual. Most of the cats that had fought were fine now, but the two apprentices still hadn't healed. Violetpaw and Ridgepaw.

When they had come back, the littermates- not wanting to cause any problems, had refused to be checked over until everyone was fine, and seeing no obviously bad injuries on the two, Runningmist had allowed their wish and resolved to treat them later. Soon after, Violetpaw had collapsed, revealing a horrible wound previously invisible to the medicine cat's eyes.

Runningmist had raced over, but she was too late. Violetpaw was already lying in a pool of blood. Ridgepaw had looked on, never leaving Violetpaw's side as Runningmist tried desperately to save her.

One apprentice harmed physically, and the other unable to leave her side.

_"It's all my fault!" Ridgepaw wailed. "I left her to fight that warrior by herself and went to help Bouncefeather!" He insisted it was his fault, and didn't change his mind._

Nothing much had changed in his mind. Even when Violetpaw was strong enough to be moved into the medicine cat den, and was finally declared stable, but in a critical state, Ridgepaw could hardly be convinced to go out training, resolutely sitting, staying, sleeping in front of the den. Eventually, he was forbidden to go near the den by Duskstar, and he was forced to start doing training once more.

Frozenpaw had heard the wails and screams of the battle even from the nursery, and she was terrified to see what state Violetpaw would be in. No one had been allowed to see her, not even Violetpaw's family. She swallowed, strengthening herself. She peered carefully over the edge of the mossy nest, stretching slightly to account for her small frame.

She screwed up her eyes, chanted to herself that it was okay, and opened them. Even with all of her preparation, what she saw scarring the body lying in the nest made her gasp.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Have another chapter of Underneath the Surface. I'm sorry it's late, but ever since I got back to school this week it's been crazily hectic. The last full chapter of My Name is Bluesage should come out some time next week, with the epilogue coming soon after.**

**Guest: thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you're interested in my horrible writing from a few years ago to read ahead and see the difference between the original and the rewrite, then check out Secret of the Storms, but be warned that it is actually horrible writing.**

**Well, enjoy!**

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Chapter Two

When the Sun goes down

* * *

Frozenpaw stumbled backwards. She tripped over her tail, and fell breathless to the ground. Runningmist didn't make a move towards the apprentice, instead swivelling her gaze towards her sympathetically. In her eyes, Frozenpaw saw understanding. The apprentice slowly got to her feet, keeping her gaze on the pale grey shecat in the nest.

She stepped forwards once more, and looked at the warrior apprentice. When she saw again what the shecat had hidden from the medicine cat, she couldnt tear her eyes from it.

Violetpaw was nursing a massive slice straight down her belly. Even now, realised Frozenpaw with a sad kind of shock, it was oozing blood still, and the fur around it was stained crimson. The flesh around the horrifying wound was a fiery red, signalling an infection. Tears leaked from Violetpaw's purple eyes as she began to moan. Frozenpaw watched with a lump of sorrow in her throat, her eyes unable to shed any tears.

"It hurts... please, Runningmist... let it stop..." Her eyes were unfocused and glazed over, as if she were staring at something far in the distance. "Runningmist, please..." Violetpaw begged. Suddenly she convulsed in pain and let out another whimper.

Runningmist looked at her new apprentice. Frozenpaw suddenly realised how long she had been attempting to heal this shecat, and she saw how exhausted Runningmist was. The shecat was all out of options. All she was doing now was prolonging Violetpaw's pain.

"I don't know what to do. I've tried anything I can, but she's still in not healing. I didn't go to the half moon meeting, because I couldn't risk leaving her alone, but Violetpaw has become even worse. What can I do except ease her way to StarClan!?" Runningmist began to shake, finally collapsing and hiding her face in her paws.

Frozenpaw wrapped her tail around her mentor's shoulders and spoke quietly. "It'll be alright." Silently, she added _I hope_.

* * *

A quarter of a moon into her apprenticeship, with about a quarter of a moon to go before her first Gathering, Frozenpaw was ordered to go out with the patrols and find some marigold- one of the herbs she had learned about earlier. Padding out of the medicine cat den, she went up to Quickfur, the deputy.

She bowed her head respectfully, before asking him if there was a patrol going to the gorge, where they shared a border with WindClan. "I need to collect marigold from a large patch that Runningmist showed me."

Quickfur quickly snapped his gaze to her from the nursery, where his sister, Ferndew was taking care of her one kit, Goldkit. Ashheart was inside there, and Frozenpaw could hear muffled purrs coming from inside. "There's a border patrol heading there at sunhigh." Quickfur suddenly meowed, blustering a bit. "You can go on it with... let's see…"

Frozenpaw bit back a hiss of annoyance as he trailed off again, his green eyes searching the cats that were gathered outside the den. "With Willowpaw, Bramblepaw, Bloomfeather, Lilyripple, Mudpaw, and," he took a breath, glancing away from her. "Flintfur."

Frozenpaw almost groaned, but quickly stopped herself. If Quickfur thought that she didn't want to go with Flintfur, then she would have even more annoying cats, such as Creekbelly. All that golden brown tom did was eat, fish, and snore. Whenever he spoke, it was like salmons were flying out of the water tyat was his mouth just to hit Frozenpaw in the face.

But Flintfur- the grey and brown tom was something. He was _strange_.

Bloomfeather called the patrol to the entrance to the camp, and Frozenpaw waited patiently beside the older shecat until every cat appeared. She winced when she saw Flintfur padding up, his gaze unfocused and foggy. She suppressed a sigh.

* * *

Frozenpaw was standing at the crest of the hill overlooking the gorge, searching the area around her for the marigold that she was sure were here when a certain cat snuck up on her.

"When the gorge consumes we shall have a dark time!" shrieked Flintfur.

Frozenpaw rolled her eyes, and tried to close her ears to the crazed mew of the tom, but no matter how hard as she tried she couldn't block out the sound.

"-and Twolegs will come and destroy the lake and we shall go to StarClan but there will be no StarClan and all there will be is the Dark Forest who have teamed up with the Twolegs to kill us all!"

Flintfur paused for breath and Frozenpaw took that moment to smack him upside the head with all of her strength. She hit her target. Flintfur grinned woozily, before collapsing in a heap on the thin grassy slope. Bloomfeather looked back over her shoulder with a bored expression on her face. "Lilyripple!" she called, a scowl on her face. "You won the bet. I can't believe that Mudpaw didn't knock him out before she did."

Lilyripple bounded up, an ecstatic grin on her face. "Thanks, Frozenpaw!"

Frozenpaw gave her a confused smile, before spotting the clump of marigold she had been searching for. She began padding towards it. Lilyripple leapt in front of her. "Not quite so fast, 'paw. Someone always knocks Flintfur out. If you knocked him, you take him with you."

The warrior nodded towards the snoring tom, and Frozenpaw groaned, and with a sigh of regret, started to drag Flintfur along by his scruff.

"Wha-"

Not pausing, Frozenpaw smacked him again, and Flintfur fell back into his dreamlands full of sunshine and rainbows and insane rabbits. Frozenpaw looked down at him and sighed heavily.

* * *

They were heading back to camp, and Bloomfeather was carrying Flintfur, heaving the load with an ease that stemmed from having had to carry him many times before. After Flintfur woke up and tried to run into a tree, thinking that he was a squirrel, Bloomfeather had put him to sleep once more.

Frozenpaw felt good, her jaws full of marigold and spare comfrey she had picked up on the way. Runningmist was sure to be proud of her with this!

Swishing her tail happily, Frozenpaw stepped into RiverClan camp.

It was as if a barricade of noise had formed a thick tree trunk and smashed into Frozenpaw. Reeling back, fur bushed up, and her eyes so wide open that she felt like they were going to fly out of her face, she took in the scene in front of her. Her jaw dropped.

Ridgepaw was on his feet yelling at Runningmist, while Gullypaw, the other brother of Ridgepaw and Violepaw, was sat outside the den sobbing so hard that he was shaking. Next to him, the three sibling's parents, Shimmerripple and Rainwing were alert, not even flinching when Ridgepaw and Runningmist went tumbling past, vicious scratches already marking her mentor's pelt.

Screeches echoed in the camo, bouncing over the water. Some were just noise, but others were snatched sentences. When Ridgepaw pinned the medicine cat down, she heard a yowl. "Get off her!"

With a sudden start, she realised that it was her. Ridgepaw was poised over the medicine cat, his jaws cinched in a snarl. Frozenpaw saw the two cats' mouths moving and pricked her ears, hoping to catch a bit of what they were arguing about.

She didn' t need to, as they began screeching at each othe rlo udeno ugh forthe whole camp to hear the anger in their voices

"I need to!"

"No! You can't! My sister will survive! She has to!"

"If you truly love Violetpaw you would let me do this! I can't let her suffer!"

"I won't let you." Ridgepaw's voice dropped dangerously low. "You aren't fit to be medicine cat, if you want to kill them." He suddenly scrambled off her, staring at his paws with shock lining his being.

Runningmist stared at Ridgepaw, tears pooling in her eyes. The apprentice's mouth was dangling open, and the look in his eyes was composed of horror and guilt. With a sob, Runningmist fled from the clearing.

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**See you next time!**


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